


Of Sparring and Growth

by vicalily



Series: KuroTsuki Festival Week! [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Boku no Hero Academia au, M/M, Quirks, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-06 23:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vicalily/pseuds/vicalily
Summary: The sports festival approaches and Tsukishima refuses to put in any actual effort. Until he meets Kuroo, that is.





	Of Sparring and Growth

Quest | **Quirk** | Free Prompt

Tsukishima was born a hero.

His quick was combat compatible and he had a decent enough battle sense to make him a pain to deal with in a fight. The only thing he lacked was drive. Everybody wanted to be a hero for their different reasons, and it pushed them to reach their goals and test their limits. When Tsukishima reached his limit he drew back, they were limits for a reason, there was no need to push. Whether he finished first in his class, or second, or solidly in the middle he would undoubtedly find some sort of hero work.

Understandably that attitude won him some self-proclaimed ‘rivals’ in the class, mainly Hinata and Kageyama who, admittedly, spent more time arguing with each other rather than him, but it was still irritating. Hinata was always asking why he never trained as hard of the rest of their class, even though he had a ‘super cool quirk’ (as if Hinata didn’t have a natural battle sense that left others speechless).

Normally their pestering was tolerable, but with the sports festival approaching it was becoming unbearable. Every day they wanted to spar against him or stay for extra training, it was exhausting. They wanted him to be his best, to not let Class A down. He scoffed at that because if anybody were going to disrupt the festival, it would be the idiot duo.

“Hey Tsukishima! Come practice with us!” Speak of the devil.

Tsukishima slid his gaze over to Hinata, bouncing excitedly 10 feet into the air, and sighed. His UA sport uniform was sticking to his skin unpleasantly and his legs ached fiercely from hand-to-hand combat training.

“I’d rather not.”

“Stingyshima!”

Tsukishima walked past him silently, not bothering to reply and studiously ignoring Kageyama’s scowl. As if he cared.

“I’m heading off, Yamaguchi.”

“Okay, Tsukki! I’ll see you back at the dorms.” Yamaguchi hid his disappointment poorly behind false cheer.

It was obvious to Tsukishima that his friend wanted him to push himself, but Tsukishima had witnessed the consequences of giving your all to being a hero. It wasn’t worth the pain that came with it.

He had almost reached the student dorms when a loud explosion from the training field distracted him. He turned around and tripped on the uneven ground. Or he would have if two strong hand hadn’t gripped his shoulders mid-fall.

“Mind your step, Glasses!”

Tsukishima bristled at the nickname and shook off his saviour as soon as he was upright. He turned around, immediately recognising the ridiculous hair and feline eyes as belonging to Kuroo Tetsuro, the winner of the second year division of last year’s Sport Festival.

He smiled slyly at Tsukishima. “Y’know You’ll never become a top hero of you don’t learn to survey your surroundings.”

Tsukishima looked flatly at Kuroo, who, for some inexplicable reason, was trying to provoke him.

“Good thing I’m not aiming to become a top hero then. Excuse me.” Smirking at his confused frown he turned to leave, but was stopped again by another third year.

The newcomer also had distinctive(ly stupid) hair, and was easily identifiable as Bokuto Koutorou, runner up to Kuroo last year.

“Hey, hey, hey! Are you gonna practice with us too, Glasses?” Bokuto’s voice was loud and piercing, which made sense seeing as he was part owl.

“No thank y-“

A hand clapped heavily onto his shoulder. “Course you are. Let’s go!”

Tsukishima was essentially escorted back to the training field with a third year on each side, and another student from second year walking quietly behind them. He had introduced himself as Akaashi from Class B, which explained why Tsukishima didn’t recognise him, but he wouldn’t easily forget him. There was something unsettling about him. Most people expressed some degree of emotion at all times, but Akaashi’s face was completely devoid of any feeling. It was most likely part of his quirk, but it was disconcerting nonetheless.

They stopped in an unoccupied space where they all began warming up. Except Tsukishima, because he was already warm and sweaty and tired and ready to go to sleep. Why he hadn’t left yet, he had no idea.

“Okay, Glasses, let’s see what you’ve got!” Bokuto called out excitedly, standing a few meters in front of him in a sturdy fighting stance.

Tsukishima sighed and followed suit, albeit with less enthusiasm. He studied Bokuto silently. Having watched him last year, he was at an advantage, but Bokuto had two years more experience which he should be wary of. He knew Bokuto had fantastically quick reflexes, enhanced eyesight and hearing, and talons. With his own quirk of Force Field, he figured it would be the enhanced eyesight that caused him the most problems.

While almost invisible to the average person, his force fields bent the light a little, like the view through a glass of water, which Bokuto would be able to see and avoid. That would be irritating. He should also avoid close combat at that was his weakest area and probably Bokuto’s strongest.

Kuroo stepped between them, cutting his though process short. “I will referee this match. The rules are-“ he voice dropped low in an attempt at sounding sinister “-there are no rules.”

He stepped back, grinning at Tsukishima’s scowling face, then waved one hand wildly in the air shouting: “Go!”

Bokuto, like he predicted, rushed straight at him, which was a good move designed to give him no time to think. Luckily he was prepared. He formed a tiny field at shin height, and Bokuto tripped over it with a shout. Bokuto tried to jump back to his feet and slammed his head into a second field above him. “Ow, Glasses!”

Tsukishima heard a loud cackle which he assumed was Kuroo, but kept his attention on Bokuto. Any sensible person would become more cautious, so Tsukishima would have to be more cunning this time around.

Bokuto charged again, eyes shining determinedly. He threw up a full height field, but Bokuto leapt over it with ease. Tsukishima formed a small one under Bokuto’s left foot, sending him spinning to the ground.

Bokuto miraculously landed on his feet, and sprung at him, talons extended. Desperately Tsukishima formed a thin barrier between them both. It shattered under Bokuto’s onslaught and predictably Bokuto slammed him into the ground at close range.

Tsukishima looked at the sky, wandering how he could be so unfortunate, when Kuroo’s smirking face appeared above him.

“Wow, you really suck at fighting, Glasses.”

“I am aware,” He replied dryly.

“You’ve got a cool quirk though, what is it? Some king of invisible block?” He offered his hand to pull him up.

Tsukishima batted it away testily. He didn’t enjoy losing in front of an audience. Or at all.

“Force Fields.”

“So cool! Hey do they have to be stationary or can you move them?”

Tsukishima shrugged his shoulders.

“Can you expand or contract them at will? How large can you make them, and does that affect the density?” 

Tsukishima sighed heavily before answering. “Yes I can. Big as a house. Yes.”

Bokuto bounded over. “Sounds pretty sweet, too bad you aren’t using it cleverly.”

Tsukishima’s eye twitched. What would he know?  
Bokuto laughed at his expression. “My buddy Kuroo here uses ‘Telegraph’ meaning he can see where someone will move or hit a second before it happens. Initially he was using it defensively, but then he realised he could use the momentum of other people’s attack to use against them, like in judo. He used his quirk cleverly to win against me and everyone else.”

Kuroo pretended to wipe a tear from his cheek. “So supportive!”

Kuroo stared Tsukishima, and a pleasant shiver ran down his spine. “It’s true. Your quirks versatile so You’ve got lots of options but you’re not utilising them. Explore your quirk and how it could work for you. Or let us help you.”

Tsukishima stared into his eyes, something possessing him to blurt out “yes.” Kuroo smiled, soft and genuine, and Tsukishima looked away with blushing cheeks. 

* * *

They spent nearly every afternoon together leading up to the sports festival. Most times Bokuto and Akaashi joined them, but sometimes it was just him and Kuroo sparring.

It was near impossible to get a hit in with Kuroo. Every move you made he already knew what it was and either blocked it or turned it against you. Tsukishima had to resort to using his quirk to catch him unawares by tripping him up which Kuroo approved of, often laughing from the floor.

Together they also managed to train his field strength so Bokuto could no longer punch through it, and he could push them away from himself as well. He shoved Bokuto right out of their makeshift ring this way, though passing out from the effort shortly after, the glow of victory following him into unconsciousness.

He woke in the infirmary with Kuroo’s worried face hovering over him, and he strongly suspected the warm feeling in his chest had nothing to do with Recovery Girl’s healing kiss.

Those moments happened more frequently leading up to the festival, the two of them becoming closer, stares lingering on rippling muscles, and hands needlessly caressing exposed skin during stretches. It was a constant game of push and pull, dancing around each other with teasing remarks and heated glances across the ring.

It was only when Tsukishima watched Kuroo narrowly win the festival in a nail baiting final against a seriously talented student called Daishou, did the emotions boil over. As soon as the fight was over Tsukishima ran to him, smile so wide it hurt his cheeks, and flung himself at his turned back.

Perhaps Kuroo saw Tsukishima through his quirk, or maybe he just knew that Tsukishima needed catching, saving, like the day they met, and every day since. Kuroo didn’t need a quirk to be a hero, because he had saved Tsukishima time and time again by making him want, and feel, and reach for what he thought was impossible. If that wasn’t heroic, then Tsukishima didn’t know what was.

**Author's Note:**

> A little rushed >. < but I hope you enjoyed it. Any criticism appreciated :))


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